Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious and potentially life-threatening infection that occurs due to sexually transmitted diseases.
What is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?
PID is infection and inflammation of the upper female genital tract, which include the uterus, Fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Who is at risk?
Women who have had unprotected sex, multiple partners, or known exposure to an STD/ STI before are at risk of PID.
What is the cause of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?
PID starts as an infection in the lower genital tract, at the vagina or cervix, and travels up into the upper genital organs.
Sexually transmitted infections/diseases (STIs/STDs) are usually responsible for these lower genital tract infections.
What are the symptoms of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?
Most women experience lower abdominal pain or abnormal vaginal discharge. Discharge can be yellow, green, white or brown, and can be sticky or foul-smelling.
Other symptoms include bleeding after sex, bleeding between periods and pain during sex.
Some patients with PID may have no symptoms at all.
What are the complications of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)?
Left untreated, PID can result in turbo-ovarian abscesses, which are collections of pus within the Fallopian tubes and ovaries.
PID can also cause intra-abdominal infection, a serious infection of the inner lining of your abdominal cavity.
Over years, PID results in infertility and chronic pelvic pain and also increases your chances of having an abnormal ectopic pregnancy in the future.
Learn more about Women’s Fertility and STDs
How is it diagnosed?
PID is diagnosed based on risk factors, clinical history and physical examination.
How is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) treated?
PID is treated with a long course of antibiotics.
In cases where complications arise, patients may need to be referred for specialist care, to receive treatment with intravenous (IV) antibiotics, or to undergo surgery.
Don’t allow Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) to go untreated.
If you’ve had unprotected sex, multiple partners, or known exposure to an STD/ STI before, talk to your doctor today about STD screening. There are also clinics in Singapore that provide Rapid STD Screening (Results Next Day).
For more information, please visit DTAP Clinic website, www.dtapclinic.com or email them at hello@dtapclinic.com.sg
